>>6350155>>6350173>>6350216>>6350288>>6350290You bravely approach Ilona's circle, but your courage slowly deflates, leaving you feeling more natural. The woman talks and smiles with another guest. ‘Good morning, Miss Ilona,’ you say, as if you were a little girl. A woman of her calibre deserves enormous respect. The woman turns quickly when she hears a familiar voice. She looks at you for a few moments and adjusts her glasses. ‘Christine Kirsh?’ she asks, her blue eyes widening as she realises who you are. ‘What are you doing down here?!’ she asks, quite astonished, with her characteristic accent. ‘I thought you were still with your parents,’ she says in a tone of surprise and honest concern. She saw you grow up and start your singing career, so you feel a small connection, as if she were your grandmother.
‘Uuhh... ehhh,’ your courage falters, but you swallow it down with pain. ‘Yes... I distanced myself from my parents after the war. I had some problems maintaining my career, and well, I tried to find my place elsewhere, exploring here and there, which didn't end so well,’ you say with complete honesty, revealing your vulnerability. Ilona notices it instantly. ‘Oh, my dear,’ she says in that maternal tone with a calm smile. ‘You'll be better off with me.’ She gives you a hug, and you feel her warmth against your body, a genuine affection you haven't felt in a long time. You just hug her back, and all your
worries slowly fade away in this embrace.
You have a wonderful time, chatting, discussing and enjoying the food together. She introduces you to some acquaintances and you meet Thomas K. Grishtell, a theatre director who is looking for people for his next play. He's not Cohen, but it's something.
After the buffet, she takes you to her flat, using the Vatisphere transport to take you to Olympus Heights where she has her penthouse, a beautiful, perfectly furnished flat with delicate décor, sea salt crystal chandeliers, unique paintings hanging on the walls, but the place feels... empty. Even though everything is perfectly furnished, the tables, chairs, and decorations seem to have never been touched. There is a bar with a wall full of luxury liquors covered in a thin layer of dust. The seats look as if no one has ever sat in them. There are enormous bookshelves covered in dust.
